On Feb. 27, five of us loaded up with ATVs and went to the Morrow County OHV Park to ride and enjoy the beautiful weather that day. We got there and the entire place was locked up. This made five riders very unhappy, especially after we had checked on the Web and there was no post of it being closed.

On Monday, March 1, I called the Morrow County Parks Department and was told it was closed because they have to get in there first and open all of the trails so they have no liability. My question is this: Why would the Oregon Forestry Department allow my “grant” money to be used to build us areas to legally ride if only to lock them up?

I called Burk O’Brian in Morrow County three times on this issue and have received no return calls (this is a good way to deal with the public). So I called the Oregon Forestry in Salem and they referred me to a Kelly Foster on this matter. She never called back but a young man did, and we discussed this issue. I did learn some things, but nothing that’s going to get the park opened. But he gave me Ian Caldwell’s name and phone to call (this person oversees all of the Eastern Oregon OHV parks).

By the time I had decided to sat down and write this letter I had not heard from Mr. Caldwell. But on this day (3/10/10) I finally got a call from him. He told me that yes, they did use grant money to build that park. And yes, they can close it down to protect the environment. What? Yes, if the trails are wet they don’t want us tearing them up.

Excuse me! I thought this is why they built us these trails – to stay out of the woods and give us a place to have fun. Bottom line, it’s just government’s big thumb on us once again. It’s like you, you and you can enjoy the timber and wildlife but not you because we don’t like your methods.

Anyway, I just needed to “vent” about this crap and forewarn you riders to save your gas money and avoid the Morrow County OHV Park. You can ride in there around May or June and eat the dust. The rest of us “nonconformists” will ride where we want to from now on.

Ken Alford

Hermiston